So, I reckon this chapter is going to be somewhat controversial because it has less to do with the actual pairing and more to do with the fighting, but it's very necessary to the story and I enjoyed writing it so I hope you will all enjoy it as well. Secondly, I know that we've been through quite a few chapters without any proper smut but I promise you the next chapter will make up for that ;) Please stay tuned for some messages at the end of the chapter.


Night had fallen… and a strange quiet had come over the Room of Requirement as its occupants lay still in the wash of moonlight flooding in through the far window.

Even under the circumstances, the day that they spent locked in that room had been rather joyous. Fred and George had brought games and frequent practice sessions were held so that the younger witches and wizards could brush up on their skills.

Even Ron and Hermione had broken free of their troubling thoughts and joined in, though Ron made a specific effort to keep clear of the brunette.

But now, everything was quiet. Not a single voice could be heard, nor could the shuffling of feet on the cement floor.

No, it was as if the slightest sound or movement might set off a deadly explosion, and everyone held their breath.

No one had to ask what it was that caused this heavy silence… Everyone had heard it.

A cry…

A scream…

There was something moving out there… outside the castle, and no one would dare make a sound.

The silence seemed to shatter suddenly as the large ornate doors of the Room of Requirement burst open. Ginny screamed in surprise and everyone instantly got to their feet and drew their wands.

When a sweat-drenched and panting Lupin came stumbling in, several people dropped their wands on the spot and ran over to help him.

"Remus!" Tonks cried, running to support his right side. Kingsley quickly came to support his left.

"Remus, what happened?" Mad Eye grumbled loudly as he limped towards him.

Sweat dripped from the hair that fell over his face as he doubled over, his chest heaving.

"T-they're… here…" Lupin choked out. "The… Death… Eaters…"

A frenzy of frantic yet hushed voices broke out among them and Mad Eye stomped his staff into the ground to call for silence. The loud echoing thud caught everyone's attention.

"QUIET!" He bellowed. "Let the man speak!"

Lupin waved Tonks and Kingsley away and got to his feet on his own, regaining some control over his breathing. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and cleared his throat.

"They're attacking the Centaurs," he spoke suddenly. "Though I suspect by now they're on their way up to the castle. I got away just in time."

Hermione stepped forward. "The Centaurs," she spoke. "They're killing them?!"

"Three are dead," Lupin replied gravely. "Though many of them seem to have fled in time."

"How many are there?" asked Parvati Patil. "How many Death Eaters, I mean." She stood on the tips of her toes so she could see over the crowd of people.

"Yeah," Dean Thomas interjected. "Tell us what we're up against."

All eyes were on Lupin as he stepped forward to address the students as a whole. The other members of the Order stood behind him. "I can't say for sure," he spoke darkly. "But I'd say there are maybe twenty or thirty of them.

There was a collective gasp and more hushed voices floated across the room.

"Good," spoke Neville Longbottom. "There are more of us than there are them."

"It's not like it matters anyway!" Lavender Brown cried shrilly. Cho Chang put her hand on Lavender's shoulder to comfort her.

"Yeah," Cho agreed. "We all know the Death Eaters don't play fair. Evil never plays by the rules."

Harry stepped up in front of Lupin and raised both of his hands in the air. "Of course it matters!" he shouted, and the room went silent.

"Every person standing in this room has remarkable talent and strength! Blood purity does not add up to pure skill and heart!"

Zacharias Smith opened his mouth to speak but Harry raised his hand once more to cut him off.

"Everyone, listen to me," he continued. "We've spent so much time together preparing for this moment and you've all come so far. I know I'm not the only one who is proud of everyone's accomplishments here."

Neville bravely stepped forward and stood beside Harry. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Remember when Harry said that Dumbledore's Army was about doing something real?" he said. "Well, this is real. This is what we've been waiting for."

There was a moment of silence before Dean's voice broke out.

"Then let's FIGHT!" he cried, raising his fist in the air with his wand clenched tight in it.

"Yeah!" Fred and George shouted simultaneously.

"For Harry!" cried Colin Creevey, his voice cracking as he tried to make himself heard over the crowd.

"And Dumbledore!" chimed another voice.

Everyone began cheering, and Lupin, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville led the way down the corridor with the rest of their army following close behind. Lupin patted Harry and Neville both on the back and expressed how proud of them he was.

They were nearing the end of the corridor with all thirty-eight of them running. They held their wands high in the air and their cloaks billowed behind them as they stampeded into battle.

The lot was greeted by a group of all too familiar faces coming around the corner as they reached the end of the upper west corridor. Voldemort himself led the pack of death eaters, looking as menacing as ever.

Both parties skidded to a halt at the intersection of hallways with a wide gap of space between them. There was an eerie silence sprinkled with muffled cackles and nearly inaudible whispers.

"Harry Potter," The Dark Lord's voice pierced the thick air. "We meet again."

He leaned to his right to speak to Bellatrix but did not break eye contact with his young rival.

"Thank you, Bellatrix," he said, "for your very helpful hint as to where I might find these fools. We all appreciate it." He gestured to his followers.

Bellatrix's eyes flashed to Harry's and then to Hermione's. Her face was wild with anger and betrayal and Hermione looked very startled, though she did not know what she had expected to see.

The young brunette glanced at Harry to make sure he was not looking at her and saw that his eyes were still fixed tenaciously on Voldemort.

"How kind of you to invite all your little friends to your funeral," Voldemort said with a devilish grin.

Harry's stern stare remained unbroken. "I believe you have it wrong, Voldemort," he spoke precisely. "It is you who is going to die tonight."

Dean Thomas slapped Harry on the back in support and Lupin gripped his arm. Whether this was an act of encouragement or restraint was unclear.

All were surprised when Narcissa lunged forward and drew her wand.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY HUSBAND YOU BASTARDS?!" she screamed.

She swished her wand in one long motion from behind her head and shot a Reducto spell directly at the feet of Harry and Lupin.

They jumped back. "GO, GO, GO!" Lupin cried. He gestured wildly for his mates to start casting spells.

Harry shot first in an instant reflex. "EXPELLIARMUS!" he shouted, but Narcissa blocked his attack. She was a better wizard than he had expected.

Within seconds everyone was casting and dodging attacks. Yaxley shot Colin Creevey and he jumped out of the way. He tried to shoot him back but missed and hit Greyback, who stared at him with a hungry smirk.

Hermione stood in the middle of the battle, completely stunned, when another powerful spell came hurtling towards Neville Longbottom.

"Neville look out!" Hermione cried.

He ducked quickly and looked up to see Bellatrix smirking back at him. She waved mockingly.

"You!" Neville cried. "You tortured my parents into insanity!"

"Did I?" she asked innocently, her lower lip forming a pout.

"I'll KILL YOU, YOU MONSTER!" Neville screamed. He cast a powerful spell directly at Bellatrix but Hermione unthinkingly jumped in front of him and blocked the attack.

"Hermione!?" Neville screeched. "Whose side are you on?!"

"Sorry, Neville!" cried the brunette. She turned in an instant to see Voldemort glaring at her suspiciously.

She smiled awkwardly and backed up onto her side of the battlefield.

The battle was brutal and gruesome. It seemed every few minutes another bloody and injured witch or wizard was being carted away to medical attention.

Lavender Brown had been mauled by Fenrir Greyback and Mad Eye Moody pulled her away just in time to get to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey had offered to provide her services. Along with Lavender went Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Lee Jordan who had been shot in the leg by Goyle Sr. with a curse that burned him to the bone.

On the other side, Yaxley, Gibbon, and Amycus Carrow lay slouched against a back wall, nursing their bloody wounds.

Bellatrix shot at Hermione for a sixth time and Hermione returned with a nasty Sectumsempra that the older witch effectively dodged.

Rather than concerning themselves with each other's wellbeing, they had gone head to head in a vicious clash of power, and hatred. They had moved from crude Langlocking and Jelly-finger curses to dangerous spells that could kill either of them in an instant. It was almost as if everyone else had disappeared and only Bellatrix and Hermione remained to fight.

"CRUCIO!" Bellatrix cast her signature spell with a violent slash of her wand and a green streak of magical light came bursting from the end, effectively striking Hermione square in the chest.

The wind was knocked straight out of her and she fell to her knees in moment of agony.

"Hermione!" To the young witch's surprise, Ron had come to her side.

"Ron-," she choked out. The pain was absolutely unbearable. All she could do was curl up on the ground, twitching as feet dodged her crumpled figured from every angle.

"It's ok, I'm here," he assured her. He sat on the floor beside her and hugged her tight as she rode out the pain of the curse.

With her eyes shut tight, Hermione's mind brought her an image of herself on the night she encountered Bellatrix in Diagon Alley. She saw herself on her hands and knees with Bellatrix standing over her. There were tears running down her cheeks and her knees were stained with blood. And Bellatrix… she looked so evil… so heartless. This was the last time she had used the Cruciatus Curse on her, and Hermione saw that same look in the dark witch's eyes once again when the curse had hit her just now. She felt the pain of heartbreak even through the pain of the curse's torture.

As the curse began to wear off, Hermione opened her eyes enough to reach for her wand. Ron helped her by handing it to her and she thanked him with a meaningful hug.

Something bright red came flying towards the two of them, but even in her weakened state Hermione sprang into action. She blocked the attack and saved Ron from the curse. He hugged her back and it was clear that their fighting had come to an end. They were friends once again.

Hermione looked across the sea of witches and wizards to see Bellatrix standing completely still, staring back at her with concerned eyes. The sight caught Hermione off guard completely, though when Bellatrix realized she had been seen she instantly became menacing again to cover herself.

All of a sudden Voldemort was yelling. "RETREAT! RETREAT!" He yelled wildly as he herded the Death Eaters away from the battle. They tripped over each other in a scramble to collect the wounded and drag them away to safety.

"THIS ISN'T THE END POTTER!" The Dark Lord cried as they fled from battle. "WE WILL BE BACK! AND IN LARGER NUMBERS!"

Bellatrix was the last standing on the opposite side with the rest of her fellow Death Eaters already half way down the corridor. She hesitated to move, as she had locked eyes with Hermione once again. She waved sort of sadly before finally turning and running off.

The students and teachers surrounding Harry burst into cheers and shouts. They had won the first battle and everyone was celebrating… all except for Hermione... but she followed them to the Hospital Wing nevertheless to tell the others of their success.

All she wanted to do was see Bellatrix, but it wasn't safe just yet. She was going to have to wait, but it was worth it for her.

It was always worth it for her.


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*Important note: I've printed this fic into a book and when I posted a picture of it on tumblr someone asked me for a signed copy of it and I'm going to send her one. If anyone else wants one I can send you one but just know that printing costs $18 plus shipping. I will ship anywhere. I would give them away for free but I can't afford it haha. If you would like to see what it looks like you can look here.*

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Look for the next chapter soon! :D